Renault set to begin the 2018 season with limited engine power as it searches for better reliability

Renault will begin this season with compromised performance as it looks to play it safe with this year’s stricter engine regulations.

With teams now only allowed to run three engines per car across the course of the season – down from four – reliability will be at a premium and any early failures are likely to hit hard later in the campaign.

As such, Renault has said it will start the year with its engine in a slightly compromised mode to try and ensure longevity.

“We have decided voluntarily to make some compromises for engine number one in order to make sure that we have the right platform,” said Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul. “If you come to the first race and you start with problems, then that is not just a race – it compromises the whole season. You cannot afford it.

“It is about setting the right baseline and building a plan for the season. The fewer engines you have the more rigid you need to be in the implementation of performance. So the focus is very much on reliability.”

Abiteboul added that Renault’s new R.E.18 engine had undergone more testing than its hybrid predecessors.

“We have covered 11 times the mileage on the dyno that we had covered at the same point last year – and we are aiming to have 70,000km on the dyno by race one, which is huge. It is something we have never done in the V6 era.”